


Best Kept Secret

by trashmomorgana



Category: Fringe, The X-Files
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-17
Updated: 2017-11-16
Packaged: 2018-05-21 06:02:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6040899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trashmomorgana/pseuds/trashmomorgana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>That's when he saw something in his peripheral that caught his attention, not something, someone. He didn't notice his jaw drop, this someone was absolutely gorgeous. He was mesmerized by her beauty and grace she displayed with every step she took. College AU. MSR (Eventual Fringe Crossover)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Liquid Velvet

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MadamRebel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadamRebel/gifts).



> This story was cross posted on ff.net, don't freak. I've had someone tell me that they saw my story posted under a different name on ff.net. The ff.net name is trashmomorgana.

It was his first day of the second term and he solemnly walked into his Psychology 101 class. During the term break, he learned that his girlfriend, Diana, had slept with his best friend Tony. He had never felt so betrayed by anyone. The thought of his best friend in bed with his girlfriend, it made him sick to his stomach. It got him thinking though, what would possess somebody so much to cheat on their loved ones?

 

That’s when he saw something in his peripheral that caught his attention, not something, someone. He didn’t notice his jaw drop, this someone was absolutely gorgeous. He was mesmerized by her beauty and grace she displayed with every step she took. It was slow motion in his mind. Her fiery red hair swayed with every step. It was shoulder length but it suited her, deep blue eyes mixed with various shades of green, and skin made of porcelain. She walked passed him and winked. Who was this woman?

 

The professor arrived shortly after, dressed in a suit and tie, like he was about to walk down the red carpet, clean shaven and fresh haircut. The professor began roll call. “Fox Mulder?” Mulder didn’t respond, he was too busy staring at the beautiful red head. The professor called out his name again but with a little more force this time, “Fox Mulder”

 

The woman pointed forward to the professor and he took the hint, “Sorry, please call me Mulder and present.” He turned back around only to get caught gawking at her. She decided to have a little fun. The mystery woman waved, blinked and blew him a kiss. He felt his cheeks got hot and smiled to himself. Mulder turned to face the professor again, trying to hide his face from her. He listened to the rest of roll call and waited for the professor to call out her name. He looked back one more time to find that she wasn’t there. ‘Wait, was she even real? Am I just imagining things?’

 

“Dana Scully?” There was a slight pause and then he heard her voice next to him. It nearly made him crawl out of skin in fear.

 

“Present” She leaned over to him and whispered, “I couldn’t help but notice that you were practically drooling the moment I walked into the lecture hall so I figured why not have a little fun have while I’m at it. Hi, I’m Dana. Also I thought I should properly introduce myself.” Mulder was momentarily taken aback when she spoke. Her voice was liquid velvet; so elegant, so sexy. Suddenly his eyes went wide. He was being completely rude. “What cat got your tongue?” She said in effort to get his attention.

 

“Oh right my apologies. I’m Mulder”

 

“Well Mulder, it’s nice to meet you.” Mulder felt like a middle school adolescent with his first crush. He’s talked to plenty women throughout his life but he didn’t understand why he couldn’t form a simple sentence with Dana. There was another moment of uncomfortable silence between the two and then Mulder blurted out something completely random.  
“My mother took a course on Psychology. ” He wanted to punch himself in the face. ‘Out of all the things you could’ve said, you chose that.’ Dana was suddenly intrigued.

 

“Where did your mother go to school?”

 

“I wouldn't exactly call her my mother but she went to Stanford University."

 

“What brings you to Washington DC?”

 

“My father. He's a professor here.”

 

“What does your father teach?” She asked even more curious than before.  
“I'm not exactly sure what he teaches, he keeps to himself most of the time but I think he teaches in the field of government and politics.”

 

“Woah woah, back up. Your father is Dr. William Mulder?!” The entire class looked at her.

 

“Could you say that a little bit louder? I don’t think China heard you.” He replied sarcastically.

 

“Sorry I’m just so surprised.”

 

“You know who my father is?”

 

“Of course! He’s only the best political scientist in the world!” Dana was geeking over his father and this made him slightly uncomfortable.

 

“He is something I give you that” He muttered under his breath.

 

She ignored his last sentence and asked, “What does your mother do?”

 

“She is also a professor, here at the school actually. Metaphysics.”

 

“What’s Metaphysics?”

“It’s the branch of philosophy that deals with the first principles of things, including abstract concepts such as being, knowing, substance, cause, identity, time and space.”

 

“Jesus you must come from a family of geniuses” Dana spoke with a hint of jealousy.

 

“I guess you could say that.” He lowered his head slightly. Dana was quite thrown by his last gesture and took it as a sign to drop that conversation.

 

The professor spoke up, “Alright class. Let me introduce myself. I’m professor Skinner. Before we get started, I would like to test your knowledge about Psychology. Now can anyone tell me what the definition of psychology is?”

 

Mulder “whispered” into Dana’s ear, “Easy one” The so-called whisper was heard throughout the entire lecture hall.

 

Professor Skinner grabbed his attendance sheet, “Mr. Mulder, is it? Would you be so kind as to sharing your answer with the entire class rather than Ms. Scully” Dana snorted in an effort to suppress her laughter.

 

Mulder smirked at the professor, “It's the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context." 

 

“Very good. Now I suggest you wipe that smirk off your face before I become a high school teacher and hold you after class,” Mulder was expressionless and this made the professor laugh, “Alright moving on. This next one might sound a little stupid but it's one of psychology's greatest question. Why do we dream?

 

The class was dead silent, as the professor expected, “I figured as much, we dream because” He was interrupted.

 

“According to Freud, our dreams represent our unconscious wishes that we're too afraid of expressing in our conscious lives but there are other theories that say our dreams are simply created by random stimulation that occurs in our brains during sleep. Also, it's been said that dreams reflect our hidden desires.” The professor was thrown. 

 

"I've been teaching Psychology for twenty five years, I've had some of the, now, greatest psychologists in the world take my class. When I started teaching twenty five years ago, I asked those two exact questions and you, Ms. Scully, have been the only student I've had to answer that question. I'm quite impressed." The professor clapped his hands, the class soon followed his actions. 

The professor chuckled, “Alright, let’s get focused into today’s lesson. Everyone turn your texts to page…”

 

Mulder leaned over to her, “Would you like to grab some coffee in between classes?”

 

“Wow this is the first time you’ve spoken to me without stammering over your words, I’m impressed.” She winked at him again, this drove him absolutely crazy. In a good way. Dana turned forward, opened her notebook and began jotting down the gibberish that the professor was spouting off. ‘God even when she’s taking notes, she beautiful. He felt like a lovestruck teen staring with googly eyes. ‘Come on Mulder, pull yourself together.’

 

Professor Skinner dismissed the class. Dana and Mulder walked out together. She casually slipped her hand into his and interlocked her fingers with his. The professor smiled at himself at the sight of this gesture.

 

The gesture took Mulder’s breath away. It shocked him yes, but at the same time it felt… natural. When they walked outside, Dana shivered slightly. Mulder had worn a scarf that day. He took off his scarf and gently wrapped it around Dana’s neck. “Here” he said. His knuckles grazed against her skin and she shivered in pleasure. Then a snowflake landed on his nose. She giggled and slipped her hand back into his and made their way to the cafe.

 

“So Dana, tell me something about yourself.” 

 

Dana thought for a moment, she didn’t want to scare him away but didn’t want him to lose interest in her. So she started simple, “Well as you already know I’m a geek for your dad, also I know why people dream." 

Mulder raised his eyebrows and chuckled, they walked into the cafe just off the west end of campus. “That’s all you got? What’s something you don’t normally tell people on a date?”

 

“This is a date?” She asked.

 

“Well kind of, more like a pre-first date. To see if I’d like to take you for an official date.” He winked at her and she punched him in the arm softly.

 

“What can I get you started with?” The barista asked.

 

Dana spoke first, “ I’ll take a large black tea with a slice of lemon on the side.”

 

“And for you sir?”

 

“I’ll take a large black coffee.” They quickly sat down at the nearest open table. “Dana you never answered my question. What’s something interesting about you?”

 

“Like I already told you. I'm a geek for your dad and know why people dream” Mulder gave her a look that screamed ‘Oh really’ “Fine, fine you win. If you must know, I’m an Olympic medalist.” Dana casually sipped on her tea.

Mulder choked on his coffee in surprise, Dana spoke “It’s hot you know”

 

“Yeah, no kidding, they need a warning label ‘Caution don’t drink while someone tells you shocking news because you will burn something” There was a pregnant silence. "So, Olympic medalist uh?"

 

"Yeah," She paused for a moment. "Can you guess which sport and what country I competed for?" 

 

"Based on the way you walk, I'd say you're a figure skater." 

 

"I'm impressed, you got one answer right. Now which country did I compete for?"

 

Mulder smirked at her, "Trick question. You competed for the U.S."

 

"Wrong!" She laughed at him. 

 

"How can you compete for a different country when you were born in the US" 

 

"Dual citizenship is a wonderful thing my friend!" 

 

"Okay, okay, fine. England."

 

"Nope!" She giggled. He loved the way her nose crinkled when she laughed. Determined to see the crinkle in her nose again, he said

 

"North Korea." They both laughed. 

"Oh my god, Mulder NO!" 

 

"Can I have a hint?" He gave her puppy dog eyes. Now who can say no to that?

 

"Good aye mate!" She butchered. 

 

"Canada! What brought you there Dana?" Now very intrigued.

 

"Please call me Scully. My dad is a US ambassador and we traveled all over the world. I think we lived in eight different countries before I was sixteen."

 

"Ooooo, where have you been and what's your favorite country you've lived in?"

 

"I've lived in the US, obviously, Argentina, Italy, Japan, Pakistan for a few weeks and I decided that I wanted to go back to Australia and live with my aunt for a little bit. Then I lived in Canada, which was convenient because the 2010 Olympics were in Vancouver. After the Olympics, my dad asked me to pick a country to live in during my recovery. I chose Albania, which if you haven't been there you definitely need to spend a few weeks there. It's absolutely goregous. Now I'm back in the US studying medicine."

 

"Dr. Scully, I like the ring to that. Why don't you compete anymore? You're still very young."

 

"I got injured during my final competition. I was doing my final jump of the short program, a quadruple toe loop, and I lost my footing and broke my ankle." She lifted her pant leg up to reveal the scar. "It was a compound fracture, a few screws and a plate later I was good as new but I couldn't compete anymore."

 

"I'm sorry Scully." 

 

"The funny thing was that I had them splint my ankle and I waited until awards were presented. Despite the fall, I still got the silver. My dad was so insistent that I go to the hospital straight away but I was too stubborn to go until I knew my results."

 

"Tell me about your dad Scully."

 

"Despite him being gone for work all the time, he was a great father. He took me to the gym every chance he could and he'd tell me stories that his grandfather told him when he was in WWII. He was amazing. What about your father Mulder?" He oozed uneasiness. 

 

"He like your dad was absent and too focused on his career that he forgot he had a family. He was considered an 'A-list' celebrity in the collegiate world. Teachers and students raved about him like he was some sort of god. I mean he was in a political sense. He was smarter than most the politicians in office now. Some of the politicians hate him because they feel threatened by his knowledge and the rest of them want him to run for Congress."

 

"I'm sorry Mulder" She reached over and grabbed his hand. 

 

"Don't be. The past is in the past. We've grown a little bit closer since I started attending college here. I almost went to Oxford in England but I'm glad I didn't. Otherwise, I wouldn't be on a date with this amazing woman." He smiled at her.

 

She took another sip of her tea and looked at her watch. "Oh shit, I'm going to be late for my next class! Bye Mulder," She gave him a kiss on the cheek as she ran out the cafe. "I had a great time, we should do this again!" She yelled as she ran out the door.

 

'On that note' he thought, he left a tip on the table and headed back to his dorm. His next class didn't start for two more hours. What he loved about his dorm is that it's centrally located. It was a five minute walk to the cafe, five minutes from his mother's office, five from his father's office and five from the Psychology lecture hall. When he decided to take Psychology he thought he would absolutely hate it but then Dana Scully walked into his life and suddenly his life had meaning again.


	2. A Coincidental Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cross posted on ff.net

When he entered his dorm room Mulder suddenly realized he didn't get Scully's phone number. He wanted to invite her to dinner this coming Friday. He flopped down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. All that was on his mind was Dana, he never thought about his ex girlfriend this much but Dana was something else. He wanted to see her again. He got an idea.

Walking over to his desk, he wondered if he could hack the school records. He knew he'd get caught with his account if he tried. Being the sly devil he was, Mulder used his father's account. The login page had three fields: username, password and pin number.

User: WMulder [green check]  
password: teenasking123 [red 'x'] 'Damn' he thought, the six digit had to be a birthday of some sort. Being the cocky little bastard he was, used his birthday as the first attempt.

PIN: 101391 [green check] The final hoop was the password. This one he had to think about a little longer. He leaned back in his chair for a moment and really thought about the password and the way his father thought about things. Then he remembered something someone once told him.

'He even earned the nickname the All Father because of his extensive knowledge, thesis publications and numerous novels on political science and government as a whole.' "Unbelievable" he said aloud.

Password: theallfather

The University of Maryland has a strict hacking policy and piracy, so he needed to act quickly. To his amazement, he found her file quickly. 'Next class, Anatomy & Physiology, starts at 2:30pm. It's now 12:30, her class gets out at 1pm. I'll go meet her there.' He thought to himself.

It was 12:59pm when Mulder arrived outside the studio. He got a little sad when she didn't come out of the studio. 'This was a bad idea. She's going to think that I'm absolutely insane.'

"You do realize that stalking is a crime in nearly every state, right?" He heard behind him.

"That's twice that you've nearly made me jump out of my skin. Also, yes I do realize it's a crime and I instantly regretted it. I think I should go. You probably think I'm insane." Mulder turned to walk away when he felt Scully grab his arm.

"Mulder, I was kidding. What's up?" Mulder turned to face her and he couldn't think straight. He was distracted by her blue eyes.

"I… uh, I forgot to get your phone number at the cafe this morning."

"Okay wait a minute, how did you know where my next class was? Did you actually follow me here?" He couldn't tell if she was serious this time. He let his cockiness take over.

"Perks of being the son of a renowned University of Maryland professor, you can hack into student records with ease if you know the passwords." He smirked at her.

"Rude!" She playfully smacked him on the arm.

"Oh help me I'm wounded." He added dramatically. They both laughed. The way her nose crinkled when she laughed made him even more madly in love with her.

She pulled out a sharpie from her bag, "Here" Scully wrote her phone number on his hand. When she finished writing down her number she brought his hand to her lips and kissed his palm softly. He swallowed hard, then he relaxed. He brought his hand to her cheek and rubbed it with his thumb. "What are you doing Friday night?" He asked her, hand still pressed against her cheek.

"Nothing." She replied softly.

"Would you accompany me to dinner?"

"And where would we be going?"

"That, my dear, is for me to know and you to find out."

"Well, can I at least know what I'm supposed to wear?"

"I would suggest your birthday suit but I doubt people at the restaurant would find that rather odd. So I'd say formal attire but a step down from black tie."

"Sounds fancy." She raised her eyebrows.

"You have no idea. Anyways, I have to get going or else I'll be late to class like somebody was today."

"HEY!" Suddenly offended, she punched Mulder pretty hard.

"What?" He laughed at her.

"No fair! I wouldn't have been late to dance if we didn't go to the cafe this morning!"

"Did you not enjoy it? Wait, if you have pins and screws in your ankle then how can you dance?"

"It's painful." She replied shyly.

"Dana." He warned.

"I know, I know but I love to dance." She lowered her head.

His hand came back to her cheek, "I'm not going to tell you to stop dancing but if it starts to be to much to bear, then don't hurt yourself more." 'Wow' Dana thought, 'He genuinely cares about me.'

"I will. It only hurts during the colder months."

"Oh so you mean it hurts right now?"

"Yes" she replied sheepishly.

"Please be careful. I don't want you to further injure yourself." He brushed her cheek with his thumb again.

"I will be." She smiled up at him.

"Alright. I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"See you tomorrow, Mulder." He kissed her. It wasn't a deep one but it definitely meant something. They both knew it. She kissed him back. He pressed his forehead to hers after they broke apart.

"Oh hey Scully, dinner's at eight friday at Komi!"

"I've always wanted to go there! Mulder, thank you!"

"I haven't even taken you there yet."

"I know I just want to thank you in advance."

"You're welcome in advance." He kissed her forehead, "Bye, Scully."

"Bye Mulder."


	3. A Unexpected Date Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mulder and Scully's date.. well sort of.

Friday came faster than he had anticipated. It was 7:50pm and he arrived at the restaurant somewhat early, well it was early for him anyway. His palms started to sweat. Sure, he'd had his fair share of first dates but this one was different. He couldn't put his finger on it but it just felt, different. Mulder's mind started to race. 'What if I spill on her dress? What if I run out of things to talk about? What if I start rambling about life outside of earth and completely weird her out?' His thoughts were interrupted when the waiter stopped by his table.

"Sir can I get you started with anything?"

"Ah, yes a glass of water and two glasses of your finest wine."

"I'll be back shortly." He checked his phone again, 8:05pm. Hey Scully, just wanted to get an eta. I ordered you a glass of wine already. I hope you drink wine and I mean I hope you're even legal to drink. Wow okay, um, see you soon.

Thirty-five minutes passed and the waiter came with their assortment of dishes. It looked delicious, he wasn't exactly sure what the dishes were or how to pronounce them. He looked across the table and Scully still hadn't shown up. He felt stupid. 'I'm wasting my time' He thought to himself.

"You dining by yourself tonight sir?" The waiter challenged.

"I think I just got stood up. Wouldn't be the first time." Mulder sighed.

"Would you like boxes for your dishes?"

"And the check along with them, that'd be great. Thanks."

"I'll be right back, would you like another glass of wine while you wait? I won't put this on the bill."

"Do you have any bourbon or scotch?"

"We only serve beer and wine, sorry my friend."

"Wine would be excellent." The waiter took his serving platter and walked back to the kitchen.

Somebody sat across from Mulder but it wasn't Scully. He wore a tux, clean shaven, and wore cologne that surprisingly wasn't overbearing. "Can I help you?" Mulder asked the green-eyed, well put together man.

"I'm Sebastian Diakos, I'm the owner." He held out his hand to shake Mulder's and spoke with a thick Greek accent.

"I don't understand, have I done something wrong?" Mulder shook his hand.

"Not at all!" He laughed. "I would like to join you for dinner. I overheard your waiter mention you were eating alone and I thought I would join you. I mean if that's okay."

"Yeah, that'd be great. I have plenty of food to go around." Sebastian laughed and Mulder chuckled slightly. Diakos handed him the first dish, "We'll start off simple. Greek Salad. What is your name son?"

"Oh I'm so sorry. I'm Fox. Fox Mulder."

"Nice to meet you Fox."

"Please, call me Mulder."

"Okay, Mulder. Tell me about her."

"About who?"

"The girl who stood you up."

"Oh, her." He said sadly. "Well her name is Dana and tonight was our first date."

"Ouch, that's rough kid."

"Tell me about it." He took another sip of his wine.

"Tell me about how you guys met and why you decided that she was the one to bring here."

"Well, actually we met just this past Monday in our introductory Psychology course. Don't worry we're both of age, I'm twenty two and she's twenty one." He prayed that she was twenty one. "And you're probably thinking what are college level juniors doing in an intro psychology course. I decided after two years of not knowing what to do in school, I decided to head into the psychology world. I'm fascinated by the human brain. Her I'm not really sure about but she's going into the medical field."

"So you met in class. Ah, young love. Describe her."

"She has hair that resembles the color of fire. She has porcelain skin that's so softer than baby skin and piercing blue eyes you get lost in. She moves with grace despite her injuries-" Sebastian interrupted him.

"Injuries? Please tell me you aren't.." He trailed off.

"Oh god no! She was injured during the Olympics." Mulder reassured him.

"Olympics? Dana? You're dating Dana Scully?!" He nearly screamed with excitement. The entire restaurant looked at them.

"Could you keep it down a little and yes, the famous Dana Scully. How do you know about her?"

"How did you not know about her? Her first year competing in the Olympics, she had a nearly perfect score in the long program and despite her career-ending fall in her short, she still managed to score a near perfect. She's considered one of the best figure skaters in the world, even though she doesn't compete anymore. It's a shame."

"It really is," he gave a small laugh and spoke again, "You know what's funny. She is taking dance even though he doctor told her not to. She's a stubborn one."

"She could really hurt herself if she keeps dancing. Have you told her your thoughts about it?"

"I told her if it gets too unbearable to stop right away but she assured me that she's okay. Stubborn Scully." Mulder took a bite of something that he wasn't too sure about. "Hey what's this?"

"Ah, Dolmathakia. Grape leaves stuffed with rice and pine nuts, drizzled with olive oil."

"That's what the odd taste is. It's not bad, it's just something I'm not accustomed to I should say."

"Just wait until you try this," He handed Mulder the next dish. "Kolokythi. I want you to try and guess what's in this dish."

"Okay." Mulder took a rather large bite of the Kolokythi and really savored the taste. He really liked this. "Olive oil of course, judging by the color, I'd say this is a roasted squash and are those pine nuts?"

"Yes young Mulder!" Diakos was surprised to say the least.

"There's this taste that I can't describe, is there something else in it?"

"Yes, it's called tahini sauce."

"I'm gonna need a recipe for that sauce, it's absolutely divine."

"I'll send some home with you. How does that sound?"

"Awesome!" He looked at what Sebastian was eating. "What's that?"

"Mousakka. It's a traditional Greek dish; sautéed eggplant, minced meat with béchamel sauce. Try it." Sebastian spoon fed Mulder like a child or a young couple in love.

"It's mighty fine! Goddamn that's good." Diakos chuckled.

"It's my absolute favorite dish in the selection."

"Anything else I haven't tried?"

"We're going to play the guessing game again. This dish is called Fasolada." Mulder took a soup full, well actually two.

"Tomatoes, carrots, onions, celery," He took another bite. "beans, and herbs."

"You forgot one ingredient my friend. It's one we use for every dish."

"Ah yes, olive oil. What's that?" Mulder pointed to Saghanaki.

"Pan fried kefalograviera with lemon and oregano also known as Saghanaki."

"That's heavenly." He looked down at what Sebastian was eating and questioned, "Is that duck baklava?"

"You've had baklava before?"

"A long time ago. I've never had it from an authentic Greek restaurant before."

"You have five more dishes, pick one and take the rest home." Mulder looked at all the dishes carefully and then chose. "That one."

"Ah, the only non Greek food in the selection! Quite delicious in fact." He picked up the plate and handed it to Mulder. "Your final dish, I present Pisto. It's a Spanish Ratatouille." Mulder took a hefty bite. This one was a little spicy for his taste but he still enjoyed it.

"Holy shit."

"Right?!" Sebastian took a sip of his wine. He checked his watch. 10:15pm "Κοιτα την ΩΡΑ! Well, Mr. Mulder, seeing as the restaurant is now empty because it's now closed. I must be heading off."

"Can I get the check?" Mulder asked his waiter.

"Dinner's on me tonight." Sebastian told him.

"No please, let me pay for dinner."

"I insist. Now, find out where that Ms. Scully is and dinner's on me next time."

"You can't do that."

"Of course I can Mulder, I own the restaurant!"

"Thanks again!"

"You're welcome. I loved chatting with you. Go get your girl!" Diakos chuckled to himself.


	4. Freudian Slip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized that I'm behind a chapter on here, whoops.

It had been a week and he still hadn't seen Scully. Needless to say, Mulder was starting to worry. ‘Maybe something really awful had happened? Maybe she’s lying unconscious, in an alley somewhere? Or worse, maybe she's dead.’

"Fox Mulder?" He was pulled out of his thoughts when the professor called out his name.

"Sorry can you repeat the question?" 

"I asked if you could describe, in detail, one of these psychological concepts or terms in the given scenario. Use one term for applying to colleges Here are the list of words for the scenario: availability heuristic, compliance, prefrontal cortex, prospective memory. You will have two minutes to gather your thoughts and present the first scenario. I'll even throw in an added bonus."

"Ah, Professor come on!" John Doggett shouted from the back of the lecture hall. "Why does he get special treatment? You know that Spooky Mulder knows exactly what he's going to say already."

"I didn't say if was going to be a good bonus, now did I."

"You ready to present Mr. Mulder?"

"Yes sir."

"Please go to the podium." Mulder looked at him befuddled. Once at the podium, the professor spoke again, "Very good Mr. Mulder. Now because you weren't paying attention during my lecture, you have to present not one scenario but two scenarios. Don't worry I'll give you your next set of words you can use for the next scenario. If you fail to present a detailed scenario, you owe me a 12 page essay on Nature vs. Nurture."

"Alright here goes nothing." Mulder gulped. He took a deep breath in and stepped toward the microphone so it would pick up his voice. "The prefrontal cortex is located in the very front of the brain, just behind the forehead. In charge of abstract thinking and thought analysis, it is also responsible for regulating behavior. This includes mediating conflicting thoughts, making choices between right and wrong, and predicting the probable outcomes of actions or events. This particular area of the brain also governs social control, such as suppressing emotional or sexual urges. Since the prefrontal cortex is the brain center responsible for taking in data through the body's senses and deciding on actions, it is most strongly implicated in human qualities like consciousness, general intelligence, and personality. This vital region of the brain regulates thought in terms of both short-term and long-term decision making. It allows humans to plan ahead and create strategies, and also to adjust actions or reactions in changing situations. Additionally, the prefrontal cortex helps to focus thoughts, which enables people to pay attention, learn, and concentrate on goals. This area is also the part of the brain that allows humans to consider several different yet related lines of thinking when learning or evaluating complex concepts or tasks. Based on this, a college student would be able to make a judgment call on whether or not said student likes or dislikes a particular university due to tuition fees, distance from home, travelling and additional living expenses such as food, drinking water and other necessities."

Professor Skinner was momentarily taken aback at Mulder's response towards the first scenario given. He believed that Mulder would've given him a short answer like the rest of the class would have. Now, he wanted to further test his knowledge. He knew Mulder was smarter than the rest of the class. "Very good Mr. Mulder." He paused for a moment. Before he could speak again, Mulder interrupted.

"You said that I would have to present another scenario, sir?"

"Oh right, right." He cleared his throat. "Next Scenario. Same deal, I'll present the scenario and give you some words associated with the scenario. Sound like a plan?"

"Yes sir."

"Five year old, dickhead, John Doggett-"

"I HEARD THAT!" John shouted from the back of the lecture hall.

"Quiet Mr. Doggett, or you're next." John opened his mouth to respond but though it would be wiser to not say anything at all. "That's what I thought. Anyway. Five year old, dickhead, John went to a fire station with his kindergarten class. When he got home, John, who is in the preoperational stage of cognitive development, eagerly told the story of his adventure to his older sister. Now, describe how these following factors could have potentially influenced his story. Give an appropriate example of each factor. Think over the scenario for a moment."

Mulder knew Professor Skinner was testing him. The professor figured out that he thought a little out of the box. "Alright, may I have the factors that contribute to this particular scenario?"

"Egocentrism, Observational learning, over regularization or overgeneralization in language, reconstructive memory, and schema. You have two minutes."

"Considering egocentrism is a selfish view in which someone views themselves as the most important part of the situation, John may have thought that the field trip to the fire station was planned solely based on his interest in the fire station. Observational learning transpires when a person becomes acquainted with a task by watching another person perform the same task. Example, John might have learned to slide down the pole after watching the fireman do that same action only moments ago. Overgeneralization in language occurs when a person applies a rule of grammar to all instances and does not take into consideration any exceptions to the rule. Instead of saying, "I went to the fire station," John uses, "I goed to the first station." This simple grammatical error could be a testament of overgeneralization because an -ed was added to go in order to make it past tense. Reconstructive memory is supplying information that you may think appropriate when in reality actual facts couldn't be recalled in the story he told. John may not have remembered what he ate for lunch. Therefore, he told his sister that he had potato chips with his sandwich when in fact is was goldfish he ate with his sandwich. Finally, a schema is a mental set for categorizing objects and providing a certain order for the world to follow. John may have classified all four legged, black and white spotted things as cows. If he saw a Dalmatian at the station, he was have assimilated it into her schema and mistook it as a cow." 

"Is that it Spooky?" Monica Rayes shouted from the second row. "I'm surprised you didn't create a tangent and rant about alien existence on Earth."

"Good one Monica!" John bellowed from the back.

"Just because you deny their existence, doesn't mean that they aren't here dickhead!"

"ALRIGHT THAT'S ENOUGH! Doggett and Rayes, you both will stay after and you both owe me a twelve page essay on the debate of Nature vs. Nurture! Otherwise, Mulder. Well done!" The class erupted with applause. 

"Thank you, your highness." Mulder bowed as if Professor Skinner were some sort of deity.

Skinner chuckled, "Alright class dismissed. Have an excellent weekend. Mulder might I speak with you outside for a moment?"

"Sure." Mulder was getting a little nervous. He's never been one to act out in class before. They both exited the room when Mulder spoke again. "If it was for the comment I made towards Monica and John, I'd like to apologize right now."

"No no, actually I found your comment rather amusing. Between us, I'm not exactly a fan of Doggett and Rayes."

"You're not the only one Professor."

"Blah, please call me Walter or simply Skinner. I was actually wondering if you've spoken to Ms. Scully this week at all."

"I tried calling and texting her but I haven't gotten a response from her. I'm worried about her."

"I hope she's okay." Professor Skinner pulled out a piece of paper from his inside jacket pocket. "Maybe you could check up on her. Don't tell anyone I gave that to you, Spooky." The professor grinned at him and walked back into the room leaving Mulder very puzzled. Mulder opened the folded piece of paper. It looked like a student file he pulled last week. At the top it read Dana Katherine Scully. He frantically examined the document and hoped it listed her address. Cambridge Hall, that was within spitting distance.

"Thank you Professor Skinner!" Mulder ran towards Cambridge Hall, he was on a mission. A million questions ran through his head.' Was Scully okay? Was is something I asked or said? Did I rub her the wrong way?'


	5. Scully

Scully hated this feeling; illness not only that but deception. The day after she met Mulder she was plagued with an illness that wouldn't shake. It started with a fever, chills and a sore throat. As the days progressed, her overall health declined drastically and showed no sign of dissipating. Maybe she was dying from an incurable disease or the flu is just kicking her ass. She heard a knock at the door and hoarsely tried speaking but, alas, no luck. She was dreading the next moment. The body aches were excruciating to the point where she'd cry out in agony. The knocking came again but with a little more force and a quiet voice penetrated the door. "Scully?" Mulder. She was surprised and relieved that he showed up here.

 

The journey to her door felt like she was running a never ending marathon. The pain was unbearable, she wanted to collapsed to the floor. Scully sensed all the energy being sucked out of her like a vampire sucking the life out of their victims. Every step she took sent a shooting pain throughout her entire body, like she had tasers attached to her feet. Scully swallowed the tears threatening to spill. 

 

Once she finally reached the door, Scully grabbed the handle and paused for a moment to catch her breath. 'Why is it so hard to breathe?' She pondered. When she opened the door she expected Mulder to scream at her and accuse her of cheating or purposely avoiding him but he looked almost sad.

 

"Oh thank god. I thought something terrible happened. May I come in?" She nodded, while slowly moving out of his way. When she stepped into the light, he noticed sweat beating across her forehead, her eyes were sunken back and she looked like she’d lost a considerable amount of weight. "Where's your bathroom?" She lifted her arm and pointed to the door. Mulder took note of how her arm shook when she lifted it. He went to the bathroom quickly. Dana heard him fumbling in the cabinets and then he heard the faucet turn on. Mulder walked out, wet washcloth in hand, and pressed the cold, wet cloth to her forehead.

 

"Are you feeling okay, Dana?" He whispered and she nodded her head no. He lead her to her bed and helped her get under the sheet, throwing the comforter off the bed. "Keep this to your forehead. Do you have a thermometer?"

 

"Yes" she croaked. She tried telling him exactly where but instead she placed her hand to her throat.

 

"Bathroom?" Mulder inquired. She nodded yes. He ran back into the bathroom and rummaged through her cabinets again. He emerged shortly with the thermometer in hand. "Open" He didn't mean to sound demanding. He placed the thermometer under tongue. Scully's eyes began to droop, like she was about to fall asleep. She looked exhausted. The thermometer beeping indicating the reading was finished. 104.1 it read. 'Change of plans, she's not gonna like this' He thought.

 

Scully experienced a floating sensation, she momentarily opened her eyes to see Mulder had picked her up.. "Where?" She tried speaking again.

 

"Shh, don't strain your throat anymore. I'm taking you to the bathroom for a shower to reduce your fever." Mulder knew that she was athletic but she felt ridiculously light. 

 

When he entered the bathroom he started to draw a lukewarm bath to soothe her fever. He placed her on the ground and leaned her against the tub. 'Lavender bath salts' He thought, he delved under the sink. He was in luck, he dumped an immense amount into the tub.

 

Mulder took off shirt and pants, leaving his underwear on, grabbed Scully and undressed her quickly apologizing, and got them both into the tub. He shivered slightly. Mulder leaned back and let Scully lay against his chest. She tensed and shivered for a moment then she relaxed and leaned into the embrace. He scooped up a handful of water and brought it to her head, letting the water slowly fall from his hand. The water ran from her hair and onto her face. She scrunched her face and gave a small whimper, "I know, I'm sorry Scully." Mulder rubbed her arm and kissed her temple. 

 

After sitting in the tub for nearly a half an hour, Scully still felt hot. He took her temperature again, 104.5. 'Plan B' He told himself. Mulder propped her up onto his knees in order to drain the tub. Once all the water drained, Mulder grabbed a towel from the rack next to the tub and wrapped Scully up and took her to the bedroom. He laid her down on the bed and fetched a slightly oversized t-shirt and sweatpants, he didn't bother with undergarments considering they were just put her in a gown later anyway. Mulder rushed back into the bathroom and swiftly threw his clothes back on. He came back and scooped up Scully and they set off for the university medical center.

 

On his way to the hospital, Mulder called a friend of his who worked at another hospital but he wanted this doctor's opinion. "This is Dr. Walter Bishop"

 

"Walter it's me."

 

"Fox Mulder, how are-"

 

"Walter I don't have time to play catch up. I'm bringing someone into the hospital and I need to know what I'm dealing with."

 

"Symptoms, list them go. I need them to try and make an accurate diagnosis and I'll fly down as soon as I can."

 

Mulder tried racking his brain, "High fever, it started at 104.1 and climbed to 104.5 even after soaking in a cold tub, sore throat, trouble speaking, by the way she was walking I'd say she has joint pain associated with it. She had trouble breathing, she was winded when she got to her door and her bed is maybe twenty feet away."

 

"Jesus Diana." Dr. Bishop let out a breath.

 

"It's not Diana, we split. Her name is Scully. Dana Scully."

 

"Oh the Olympic figure skater?"

 

Mulder rolled his eyes. "Jesus how do I not know about her."

 

"Quite a magnificent skater if you ask me. Anyway, you said 104.5 fever and rising?"

 

"Yes"

 

"You mentioned body aches. Has she had a blood nose?" Mulder looked over at Scully as soon   
as he asked that. How did he know her nose started bleeding?

 

"It just started bleeding. How did you-"

 

"There's no time for explanations. I'll see you in approximately five hours."

 

"What no Walter-" The line went dead.

University of Maryland Medical Center 10 Minutes Later

"I need some help over here!" Three nurses and a doctor rush towards them.

 

"What seems to be the problem?"

 

"My girlfriend Dana Scully has a 104.5 fever and climbing and her nose started bleeding."

 

"The Dana Scully? Bring her over here." Another doctor shouted at the group.

 

"A friend of mine is flying down from Boston and help you guys. His name is Dr. Walter Bishop."

 

"Doctor Bishop? The one who specializes in Fringe Science?"

 

"That's the one." He replied nervously. 

 

"We'd love his help. We're going to get her into an ice bath to try and get her fever down. Did you give her any medication prior to coming here?"

 

"No I didn't even think about that."

 

"Do you know of any medical conditions or procedures she's ever had?"

 

Mulder's mind was going a hundred miles an hour. He was about to say not that he knew of but then he remember about her accident. "She had surgery to repair her ankle. There's pins and screws and I think she mentioned a metal plate."

 

"Okay MRI is out of the question. Do you know anything else about her medical history?"

 

"None."

 

"We're going to order a full body X-Ray and we'll go from there."

 

"Wait why can't you do an MRI?" Mulder was slightly confused. 

 

"You mentioned she had ankle repair with pins and screws just mentioned. The MRI machine is like a giant magnet. The screws and plate would magnetize and essentially tear her ankle apart.”

 

"Yeah, let's avoid that. Based on what I just told you, do you have a guess on what could be wrong with her?" Mulder could feel bile rising. 

 

"It may be just a severe flu or it could be... something else."

 

"Something else?" Now Mulder was worried.

 

"I don't wish to scare you Mr..?"

 

"Mulder. Fox Mulder." He held out his hand to shake the doctors’.

 

"You're Bill Mulder's son?" The doctor questioned. 

 

"Guilty" Mulder voiced sheepishly.

 

"Tell him hello next time you see him."

 

"Will do. You said that you didn't wish to scare me. What did you mean by that?"

 

"It may be nothing, Mr. Mulder but wait here and a nurse will be out in an hour to inform you of "

 

"What, no, wait..." The doctor got up and walked away leaving Mulder befuddled. He decided to head back to his dorm and grab himself an overnight bag and thought he should grab one for Scully as well.

 

When Mulder arrived at his dorm, he frantically searched for a duffel bag. He knew he had one, it was just a matter of finding it. It was a wonder how he managed to find anything in his dorm. You couldn't even see the floor. His shit was scattered everywhere, he lived like a true bachelor, he lived in a single dorm and was thankful that he did. Mulder moved out of his girlfriend's dorm after he caught her in bed with dickhead, John Doggett.

 

Successfully finding his duffel, he shoved a week's worth of clothes into it, ran out the door and hurried to Dana's dorm. When he entered her dorm he grabbed whatever his brain could remember that a woman would need. He grabbed essentials; pants, shirts, underwear, a bra and a pair of socks, and toiletries. Mulder was about to run out of the dorm when something caught his eye.

 

University of Maryland Medical Center, it was addressed to Dana. It was already opened. 'Do I open it or do I leave it.' He pulled out the document, these were test results dated Tuesday of that week. The document contained a complete blood count; red blood cells, white blood cells as well as platelets.

 

Mulder surveyed the room, he found her computer already open. He opened up the web browser and looked up normal blood cell counts. He read out loud, "A normal red blood cell count for women is 4.2 to 5.4 million cells per microliter, Dana's was 5.2 million per microliter. Normal white blood cell count, 4,000-11,000, hers 1100 and her platelets are normal. Mulder knew exactly what a low leukocyte count meant; cancer.


	6. Confessions

The overwhelming scent of bleach invaded her nose. There was an algid feeling surrounding her. Her eyes felt as if someone had super glued them shut and then placed something heavy over her face. She sensed something warm being placed on her cheek followed by a soft voice with a thick Russian accent. "Ms. Scully. I'm Sasha, can you hear me?" The taste of sleep was still evident when she tried replying to whomever called out to her. There was a slow, abysmal chill that ran up her spine at the realization that she wasn't in her dorm. Her body was paralyzed by an icy sheet that seemed to rapidly crawl across her skin. She attempted to speak and found that her throat was hoarse. Her eyes began to flutter open. Scully's eyes wondered around the room. It was dark, there were green tiles that seemed to cover every inch of the room except the floor and the ceiling.

On her left, there was a hanging tube that brushed against her cheek when she turned. Her eyes followed the tube upward and noticed it was attached to an IV. She pinched her eyes shut when she looked into the harsh light that appeared to only shine down on her. Dana looked down to see that she was in a metal tub filled with mostly water and a thin layer of ice gripped onto the surface like a lifeline.

To her right, there was a doctor and two nurses. Based on their body language, they all seemed nervous and discombobulated. One of the nurses was pulled from the conversation when she heard Dana trying to shift in the bath. "Ms. Scully." Dana didn't respond, she kept moving. "Ms. Scully, you can't get out yet. You only have five more minutes left" The nurse, Sasha, pressed her hands down on Scully's shoulders to keep her from leaving the tub.

"H-h-h-h-h-o-w" Her teeth chattered when she spoke, "d-d-d-i-d I- I ge-get h-h-h-ee-r-ee" She shivered tremendously. The other nurse brought over a chair and sat down. She placed her hand upon Dana's cheek. Her hand was warm, Dana unintentionally leaned into the gesture. Dana's eyes started drooping. There was a warm taste in her mouth indicating that she was about to fall asleep again. Her head leaned towards the opposite side the nurse had her hand on. The nurse placed her other hand on Dana's other cheek to hold her head upright.

"A man brought you here. I forget his name, he's a kind gentleman. Moher, Munch, Middler-"

"M-Mulder" Dana's voice was barely audible.

"What was that?" The nurse asked her.

"His-s" she took a deep breath, "n-name is-s M-Mulder" she struggled to breathe. "C-can-can't br-br-eathe"

"Pull her out and get her an oxygen mask then get her to X-Ray." The doctor commanded.

"Yes sir." The nurse replied back to him.

Scully felt like someone had wrapped their hand around her throat, cutting off all oxygen. 'This is the end' she thought to herself. Something cool was placed over her mouth and nose. The sudden introduction of oxygen back into her system was rejuvenative. Her breathing started evening out. The sound of something being wheeled towards the tub played in the background. Scully was lifted out of the tub and placed on the bed. She pulled the oxygen mask off her face, or attempted to before she was stopped by one of the nurses.

"Ms. Scully you must keep that on at all times." The nurse told her calmly. Scully pulled the mask again.

"Will you cover me up?" She whispered to the nurse. The nurse blushed slightly at her request.

"Of course I can, I'm so sorry." She giggled as she walked away to find something to cover Dana with.

"What's your name?" Dana barely managed to get out before her lungs burned for oxygen.

"My name is Debbie Reynolds, like the famous actress. Just call me Nurse Reynolds or just simply Debbie." Scully pulled off the oxygen mask again to speak.

"Who is the other one?"

"Her name is Sasha Chenkov." Scully theorized for a moment, 'Chenkov , why does that sound so familiar. Chenkov-'

"Okay Ms. Scully we're taking you back to your room now." Debbie told her while she placed a gown on Dana.

Mulder's heart pounded as he paced in the waiting room. 'Cancer. She really has cancer? She was fine just last week, I highly doubt someone could miraculously get cancer within that short of time. Then again cancer is a scary bitch.' His thoughts were interrupted when Nurse Chenkov called to him. "Mr. Mulder."

"How is she?" Mulder panicked slightly.

"Her temperature returned to normal after two baths. Right now she's resting, would you like to see her?"

"Yes please." Mulder rushed to her side. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course Mr. Mulder."

"Why did you leave Russia?"

"I'm actually Ukrainian. After the Chernobyl accident my family and I were forced out of Pripyat. We decided to head to Russia but we made it to the city of Kharkov and we settled there. Then two years ago, the Russians invaded and took control of the eastern cities in the Ukraine and I decided that I didn't want to be in constant fear for my life. I snuck out of Kharkov and headed to the capital and took a flight to America. I was a nurse in the Ukraine and I got a job at this hospital a year ago. Why do you ask Mr. Mulder?"

"I've always been curious of why people leave their countries and come here. That's all. Do you think you'll ever go back to Kharkov?"

"I have no reason to go back there." She stated dejectedly.

"What do you mean? Don't you have a family that'll miss you?"

"Not anymore." Mulder got the hint.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. What caused it?"

"Cancer from the accident. They had both Thyroid cancer which was treatable and then they were diagnosed with Leukemia five years ago."

"I'm so sorry."

"Mr. Mulder why are you sorry for something you could not control?"

"I-I just don't know what to say in these conversations. I'm bad with words." They walked the rest of the way in silence.

'My Dana. My? When did she become my Dana? She isn't property, I can't claim her.' He chastised himself upon entry of her hospital room. His chest tightened when he saw her. She was covered in tubes and wires. He tiptoed over to her bed, not to wake her, and pulled up a chair. When he took her hand into his, he rubbed the pad of his thumb over it. Her skin was cold smooth.

Mulder's vision became clouded with his own tears. He let them fall, he didn't care if anyone saw him like this. He was just glad that she was okay for the time being. 'She's not fine' he thought 'She has cancer. How do I approach that subject besides saying "Oh thanks for telling me you have cancer by the way." .' Mulder had fallen between the cracks. He spoke out loud.

"We've been together for a week but I know that you're the one. I love you Dana Scully."


	7. Through the Cherry Blossoms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My beta called me an asshole for this chapter, ya welcome.

_ “Did I hear him right? Did he tell me that he already loved me and that I was the one? He was right though, we have been dating only a week. Why did he confess that? Did they tell him that I have cancer? Did he already know that I had cancer? Wait, how would he know that I had cancer? Shit, the results were strewn about on my table. He probably looked at them before we left. Shit Shit SHIT. I’ll avoid the question if he asks about it.  Wait a minute, am I dead? No, that’s impossible. I wouldn’t be talking to myself if I was. I can’t see anything, it’s so dark.” There was a bright light. She was no longer lying in a hospital bed. Now she’s standing in the middle of a meadow. It was serene, it was something you’d see in a dream.  _

_  
The green color of the grass gave it a fake appearance so she bent down to feel it; real and even dewy. The sky was bluer than the ocean and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. She looked down a noticed her hair was significantly longer than normal. Her hair flew as the wind whipped through it. Maybe she would grow her hair out. In the middle of the meadow stood a willow with pale pink, elongated leaves that seemed to sweep the ground and swayed elegantly in the wind.  _

  
_ “Dana.” Someone called out to her, it was muffled but audible. She spun around to see who called out to her but there was no one there. “Dana” There it was again but it was a voice she’d heard before. “Starbuck.”  _

  
_ “Ahab? Where are you?”  _

  
_ “Come here darling.”  _

  
_ “Where I can’t see you?” Dana looked out towards the willow and saw his apparition appear. She ran towards him but the closer she got to him, the further away he was. “Dad.” She called out to him.  _

  
_ “I’m here, Starbuck.” _

  
_ “Why can’t I get to you?”  _

_  
“Because it’s not your time yet, you’re going to beat this. Just have faith, Starbuck.” Another gust of wind hit her softly. Her father’s appearance seemed to look cracked until the wind hit him. He transformed into cherry blossoms and as the wind picked up, the cherry blossoms formed a tornado around her. It felt warm, she didn’t want it to stop. The cherry blossoms began to fly away from her and disappear into the wind.  _

_  
“Dad!” She screamed for him to come back. The cherry blossoms kept flying away and the dream began to fade. “Dad” She called out once more, she wanted to hear his voice one more time, just once more.  _

  
“Dad.” Mulder was awake and alert now. She was dreaming. He heard her call out for him again with a hoarse voice, “DAD!” 

  
“Dana” He shook her gently, she was so peaceful when she slept but he didn’t want to keep her in this dream turned nightmare she was in. “Dana, wake up.” Her eyes fluttered open. 

  
“Mulder?” 

  
“Shh, don’t talk it was just a dream.”  
  


“Where am I?”

  
“You’re in the hospital. You have… you’re really sick.” He almost slipped up, he couldn’t tell her that. Not yet, he didn’t want her to know that he knew she was dying. He didn’t want to accept it. He wanted more time with her. The one girl who had genuinely come to love, within in a week’s time, was going to slip away before he got the chance to really get to know her. 

  
Dana could sense the hurt buried inside of him as he spoke. He definitely knew she was dying. Tears threatened to spill, “Fox, you know don’t you?” Her voice didn’t sound as strained as before but it was still raspy. 

  
“Y.. Yes.” A single tear made it’s way down his face and he tried to wipe it away but she’d beat him to it. She placed her hand on his cheek and rubbed the pad of her thumb under his eye to wipe away the tear that fell. 

  
“Did you mean it?” She paused for a moment to see if he’d get a reaction but he didn’t falter. “When you said you loved me?” His lip began to quiver and he looked down at the floor. He couldn’t let her see him like this, so vulnerable. ‘Do I lie and say it was a heat of the moment type of thing or do I tell her I actually love her? Oh screw it.’ He thought. 

  
“Yes.” He didn’t have to look up to know that her jaw dropped slightly. “Dana.. I love you and I want more time with you.”

  
“I..” She didn’t know how to respond to him. Their time together was nice and she wanted more time with him as well, but she didn’t know how she truly felt about him. They had a nice “pre date” as he called it earlier and they were supposed to go on a date but she was fading faster than she anticipated. “Mulder. I…” She wanted to tell him how she really felt but she didn’t want to break his heart already. 

  
“Dana you can say that you don’t love me, I know I’m rushing it. I think it was a spur of the moment thing anyway. I’m just going to leave. Sorry.” He turned away and headed towards the door. The dam broke, all the tears he held back flowed freely down his face. 

  
“Please don’t go.” She nearly broke out into sobs. “Mulder I’m so scared, please don’t leave me.” 

  
“Scully…” He glanced over his shoulder, the sight broke his heart even more. He wanted to hold her and never let go yet another, small, part of him never wanted to see her again. 

  
“Please, Mulder.” She sobbed. “Hold me.” Mulder crawled up next to her and held her so tight he thought he would break her. She buried her face into his chest and inhaled his scent. There was a faint scent of freshly fallen pine needles mixed with a lingering scent of apple cider.  

  
“Scully tell me something.”

  
“What do you want me to say?”

  
“Anything.”

  
“I…” She didn’t know where her thoughts were taking her but she couldn’t control herself. “I want to get in the car and just drive somewhere until we get tired. I just want someone to whisper sweet nothings into my ear, play with my hair, lay in a large field and cuddle under the stars.” She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and tried to imagine what she was describing to him. “We’d give each other little pecks here and there and talk about things that drive us crazy, like when someone leaves the toilet seat up.”

  
“Or when someone doesn’t replace the toilet paper roll when it runs out.”

  
“Exactly.” She giggled. “Maybe we’d talk about how our views of the world shifted as we grew older and we’d fall asleep under the stars. We would wake up to sprinklers drenching us, then we’d go to the closest diner, soaking wet and we’d eat. Sipping on coffee and stealing each other’s food and leave the waitress a nice tip.”

  
“Now I’m getting hungry. I can smell the bacon already.” Her breathing started evening out and he thought she had fallen asleep.

  
“Once we leave the diner, we’d get in the car again and drive only stopping to pee, grab some snacks and gas. Ending up in a city we’ve never been, order a room when we decide to call it a night. We’d lay like we are now, in each other’s arms softly tracing our fingers over each other. Then we’d fight sleep in fear of being ripped away from one another.” He kissed her forehead softly and pressed his cheek against her forehead. 

  
“When we’d wake up, we’d take the day exploring the new city. Walking around, finding local stores and window shopping contemplating on whether or not to move there…” Her voice started to drift. She fell asleep.  _ ‘I wouldn’t trade this moment for anything else.’  _  He continued to run his fingers through her hair and he soon found himself drifting into the dark abyss of his own mind. 


	8. Walter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I apologize for the VERY LONG wait, I've been battling a bad spout of migraines and haven't quite figured out all my triggers yet. I've also started college a few weeks ago and updates will be slow again :( I've started writing more chapters of this so don't worry! Thank you for your patience. This chapter is kind of slower, kind of a welcome back to the story. This chapter is a little bit longer than the last few, I'm going to try and make future ones longer! Anyways, enough rambling, enjoy!

Dr. Walter Bishop, somewhat of an odd character yet his intelligence set him apart from everyone. He’s managed to cross over into the parallel universe and ultimately save the world. Of course nobody would believe him, except the two most important people in his life. Peter and his newest girlfriend, Olivia. Peter met her almost a year ago. She was the most memorable because she genuinely cared about Walter and that was one of the things both Peter and Walter admired about her.

 

Peter had been accepted into the most prestigious universities in the world; Harvard, MIT, Oxford, even Kyoto. He chose MIT, for the longest time Peter couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason why he fell in love with MIT. Yes, the campus was beautiful and he’d been awarded a full ride scholarship for his thesis on the Big Bang Theory vs. The String Theory his teacher had sent to the university but he couldn’t reason his sudden attraction to it. When he got his acceptance letter from Oxford he was ecstatic, it was his first choice college. Weeks had passed and he received his acceptance letter from MIT and received a full ride. He was utterly shocked considering he’d bullshitted his thesis.

 

He’d chosen MIT. He’d settled into his dorm quite nicely and his first class of the day went smoothly. Peter walked out of his class and he saw these two junior assholes harassing this quirky classmate of his. He rushed over to her.

 

“Is there a problem here? Are these guys harassing you?” Peter interjected.

 

“Why do you care poindexter? You her boyfriend or something?” She looked over at him with fear in her eyes.

 

“Yeah, I am. I’d suggest that you back off or I’ll have you thrown out of here faster than your buddy Travis. Apologize to my girlfriend.” The two boys looked at him horrified. They quickly apologized and ran. She was picking up some papers that fell from her bag. He bent down to pick them up.

 

“I’m sorry about that.” She whispered to him.

 

“If anyone should be sorry it’s me. I shouldn’t have said you were my girlfriend.” She blushed slightly. They both got up and he held out his hand. “Peter Bishop, college freshmeat.”

 

“Olivia Dunham. I’m a sophomore transfer from the University of Maryland.”

 

“What brings you to MIT?”

 

“I don’t know, it’s like something pulled me here. Almost like I was supposed to be here in this moment. That sounds totally stupid.” Olivia shrugged and fixed her glasses.

 

“It’s not stupid. It’s kind of the same reason I’m here, some unexplained force pulled me here I guess.” She grabbed his hand and tugged him.

 

“So boyfriend, tell me about this Travis you used against those guys.”

 

“Well from what my father told me. Travis Samson was this snobby, rich football player that was thrown out of school using steroids and cheating his drug tests. He thought he was invincible because his father was a hotshot, scumbag lawyer. What time does your next class start?”

 

“In twenty minutes, when does your class start?”

 

“Twenty minutes. What class do you have?”

 

“It’s a weird one.. Uh”

 

“There’s More Than One Everything: Exploring the Parallel Universe and Fringe Science.” He answered.

 

“How did you know?” She sounded surprised.

 

“Because girlfriend, not only am I in that class but my father teaches it.”

 

“Why didn’t I put two and two together?!”

 

“It’s okay. I do have to warn you though, is a bit of a nut job.”

 

“The good ones always are.”

Walter remembered that day so vividly because it was the first day in a long time that Peter had really smiled since his mother’s passing. Peter was so ecstatic about her, he was truly happy with her and she with him. Since the, Dr. Bishop lived a somewhat of an isolated life. He taught his classes and went straight home, not bothering to stay if any of his students or peers need help. Walter could stand in front of a lecture hall with five hundred students and faculty members staring at him who asked him questions but the simplicity of a student asking him a question after class gave him anxiety. It was an odd phenomenon.

 

Mr. Mulder and his son sat in on one of his lectures one day and Mr. Mulder was absolutely astounded. After this particular lecture, Walter started having social anxiety because of Mr. Mulder’s rather aggressive approach towards him. Mr. Mulder asked him if he’d like to join him in an experiment on the usage of LSD and its effect on the human brain and told him it wasn’t really a request. Walter reluctantly accepted even though it meant he would have to take a break from teaching. After these experiments, he was never the same.

 

When Walter received the call from Fox Mulder, he immediately jumped at the chance for someone to pick his brain for good rather than destruction. He loved challenges and he knew this was his biggest challenge yet. Walter needed to call Peter.

 

“Walter do you have any idea what time it is?”

 

“Why yes it is precisely 6:30am, is Peter there?”

 

“Dad.” Peter groaned in the phone.

 

“Oh, hello Peter. I need you to watch my cactus while I’m away.”

 

“Woah, woah Walter where the hell are you going?”

 

“I have to go to Washington DC for work, why do you ask Peter?”

 

“Mhmm, I don’t know Walter. You call me out of the blue and ask me to watch your cactus, which can go without water for a few days which would mean that you’d be out of town for more than a few days. Why are you going?” Peter was growing furious.

 

“A dear friend of mine is in dire need of my assistance. I must go to him at once!” Peter held the phone away from his ear.

 

“Walter there’s no need to shout at this hour. Don’t go anywhere, I’m coming with you.”

 

“No, no my son that won’t be necessary. I can get to Boston by myself.”

 

“Walter, we’re in Boston. You’re going to Washington DC? See, I’m coming with you.”

 

“Okay, hurry up Peter. I’m already at the airport!”

 

“What time does the flight leave?”

 

“8:30! Hurry Peter!”

 

“I’ll be there in forty-five minutes. Liv wake up we have to go..” Walter hung up the phone. He sat at his gate patiently, waiting for them.

 

Forty-five minutes later

 

“Why hello Peter, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Walter asked.

 

“What do you mean Walter? You called me this morning and told us to meet you here. Do you not remember that?” Peter was puzzled.

 

“Oh Peter don’t be silly, of course I remember that! Come on they’re starting to board.” Walter looked passed him and saw Liv. “Hello Olivia it’s so good to see you. How are you feeling my dear?”

 

“Hello Walter. I’ve got a migraine. How are you doing today?” She sounded exhausted.

 

“I’m quite alright my dear. A friend of mine called me and told me his girlfriend was sick and needed my assistance but other than that, I’m alright. I’ve got some Imitrex if you need some.”

 

“Is it safe?” She was hesitant.

 

“Yes dear, it’s like a benadryl for allergies.” Walter held out the pills for her. “Take half of one for now. Now, I must warn you that you may have some chest pain if you do, don’t take anymore. If you don’t, take the other half in two hours. If that doesn’t help. Take a full one the full one and try to get some rest and sit in a dark room. Sleep on the plane, drink plenty of water and cover your eyes. Also if it’s not too uncomfortable try and put headphones on but don’t play anything.”

 

“Thanks Walter.” Walter walked over and kissed her forehead.

 

“Do you know what’s wrong with her?” Peter interjected.

 

“I do believe Ms. Scully has a rare form of cancer but I will need to see her X-rays and blood work up in order to provide an accurate diagnosis.”

 

“Wait, Dana’s sick?” Olivia questioned somberly.

 

“You know her?” Peter inquired, she nodded her head slowly.

 

“Unfortunately, I’m sorry Olivia.” Walter spoke softly.

 

Now boarding Flight 2178 from Logan International Airport to Baltimore/Washington International Airport. We would like to welcome our Gold Sky Members and Elite Sky Members. Followed by boarding zone one and those who need a little extra time settling into their seats.

 

“That’s me. What seats are you guys in?”

 

“4A and 4B. You?”

 

“4C, would you look at that.” Walter was satisfied. “Alright let’s go.”

 

University of Maryland Medical Center hours later.

 

“Hello my name is....” Walter was interrupted.

 

“Dr. Walter Bishop. I’m Dr. Robert Chase. It’s an honor.” He spoke with a thick Australian accent mixed with a British accent. They shook hands.

 

“Oh nonsense, the honor is all mine. Your father was an excellent physician, I’m sorry to hear of his passing. I don’t mean to be rude but where is Dana Scully.”

 

“She’s right this way.” The walk to the room was eerily silent even though they were in a busy hospital. The only thing they could hear over muffled voices that roamed throughout the hospital wing were the sounds of their shoes hitting the floor as they walked to Scully’s room.

 

When they got to her room they noticed Scully wrapped in Mulder’s arms. She looked so small and delicate. Dr. Chase knocked on the door. “Ms. Scully? I hope you’re up for some visitors. I’m Doctor Chase and this is Doctor Walter Bishop, he’s a professor at MIT.”

 

“Hi.” She spoke hoarsely.

 

“Hey Dana.” Olivia stepped into view.

 

“Oh my god, Liv what are you doing here!”

 

“Well, I came with Walter. How’ve you been?”

 

“You two know each other?” Mulder asked.

 

“Yeah, we met in a French course at the University of Maryland. Then this one decided that she was going to transfer to MIT and leave me for a cute guy named Peter.”

 

“Hey!” She playfully slapped her arm. They all laughed, Scully’s laugh was so beautiful. Mulder didn’t want the laughter to stop.

 

“That’s okay, she met me.” Mulder winked at Scully, she laughed again.

 

“Spooky Mulder.” Peter spoke this time.

 

“Hey man.”

 

“How do you two know each other?” Olivia was the one to ask this time.

 

“Well when your parents are renowned professors you’re bound to cross paths at some point.” Peter sarcastically fired back.

 

“I don’t mean to break up this reunion but I would like to discuss her condition and treatment options. If you guys could give me a moment with her.” Dr. Chase pipped in.

 

“They aren’t going anywhere.” Dana stated firmly.

 

“Okay then. So your X-rays show a large mass, without an MRI I can’t accurately place the mass but based on your blood work I would say it’s in your Nasopharynx. In the throat.” He paused momentarily to let her soak in the information.

 

“What aren’t you telling me?”

 

“I can’t make an infinitive diagnosis just yet. I would like to do a PET Scan. Do you have any metal in your body?”

 

“I think the screws in my ankles are.”

 

“Do you remember who performed the surgery?” Walter added.

 

“Dr. Ariana Zaharia. Why?” They heard him shout “Yes” and throw his fists in the air.

 

“Because my friend, she was the first doctor to use biodegradable screws and plates. They should be gone now. I’m going to schedule you for a PET Scan in approximately one hour and a half. In the meantime I’m going to have Debbie give you what’s called a tracer. It’s this horrible tasting dye that will light up all your insides for the scan.” He scrunched his nose just talking about it.

 

“Well thanks doc.” Sarcasm oozed from her.

 

“No problem” he winked at her. “Alright Ms. Scully I will see you in an hour and a half and Debbie will be in shortly. Goodbye everyone. Walter if you would like to join me.”

 

“Why yes. I’ll be back.” Walter said with a single finger pointed to the ceiling.

 

There was a pregnant silence that filled the room for a second. No one knew what to say because it was a shock to them all. Dana is Liv’s best friend and the thought of losing her starting tearing at her. Deciding she didn’t want to think about it anymore she decided to ask the question. “So Dana, how did you meet this hunk.” She raised her eyebrows quickly.

 

“Well this hunk was practically drooling when I stepped into the Psychology lecture hall nearly two weeks ago. We went out for coffee on the first day and I was late to my dance class because we talked, almost like we were old friends catching up.” Olivia gave her a look. “Yes Liv I know I shouldn’t be taking dance but I need to do something because I can’t skate anymore.”

 

“I know I’m just scared that you’ll get hurt again, that’s all. I’d hate to see something happen to you again.” Dana grabbed Liv’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

 

“It scared me too.” Mulder spoke. “I met her outside the studio and nearly lost my shit.”

 

“Do I need to remind you that you followed me there? You didn’t have to find out that way.”

 

“Damn, spooky. Stalker much?” Peter laughed.

 

“I didn’t exactly follow her-”

 

“You hacked the University’s records!” She bellowed with laughter.

 

“I know I’m sorry.” Mulder hung his head for a moment and then gave Scully a smile followed by a wink. Before anyone could interrogate another, Nurse Reynolds walked in.

 

“Dana are these folks bothering you?”

 

“No they’re my friends.” They all laughed.

 

“Are you sure?” She eyed them suspiciously.

 

“Positive.” She was nearly in tears from laughter.

 

“Okay sugar, here’s the gross part. I’d suggest you plug your nose and down it as fast as you can.” She handed Dana the tracer. “Are you guys going to introduce yourselves or just sit there staring at me like a bunch of fools??” She smiled.

 

“Oh right, I’m Olivia and I’m a junior at MIT.”

 

“What’s MIT?” She looked at her wide eyed and confused.

 

“Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It’s-”

 

“A college for nerds. I’m Peter and I’m a sophomore at MIT.” Peter waved his hand at her and she winked and waved back.

 

“And I met you yesterday but again, I’m Mulder and I’m a junior at University of Maryland.”

 

“And how did two nerds and a psychology geek meet a pretty girl like Dana? Yes I know some of your parents.” Dana nearly choked on the tracer at the nurse’s comment.

 

“Because us nerds have to stick together.” Peter high fived Mulder for his retort.

 

“Y’all a bunch a freaks, you know that? Anyways, I have to make my rounds. You take care of yourself now sugar. I’ll be back in a few hours.”

 

“Thanks Debbie.” She called back. There was that silence again.

 

“When we break you out of this joint, we should go to a bar or something. I know a great place in Baltimore.”

 

“I’ve always wanted to sing karaoke at a bar even though I can’t sing for shit. We should totally do it. It’ll cross one thing off my bucket list.” Dana mentioned.

 

“You have a bucket list Dana?”

 

“Yeah, you never know when the opportunity of crossing something off comes up or when your life comes to a screeching halt.”

 

“What else is on this bucket list of yours?”

 

“Skydiving, get married, vacation in the Maldives, discover an alien race, figure out why people call you Spooky…” She grinned at Mulder.

 

“Well when I was twelve my sister and I were playing a board game and we heard a strange noise outside and there were some colored lights that also got our attention. So we ran outside and saw something hovering in the sky then there was this bright light. My sister went missing after that.” He paused for a moment. “We looked for hours to find her, the sun had just risen and we gave up. We all walked back into the house and my sister was sitting on the floor finishing her turn of the game we started last night. She was covered in dirt and there was a red spot on the back of her neck. I was totally convinced that it was aliens but everyone else thought it was some sick pervert.”

 

“Damn Mulder, I’m so-”

 

“Alright, Ms. Scully we’re ready for your scan.” Nurse Reynolds always had the best timing.

 

“Okay guys, here goes nothing!” Dana threw her hands in the air.

 

“Wait!” Mulder stood up and gave her a kiss, “For luck?”

 

“You’re so cheesy but thank you.” Dana pulled him closer. “I actually really needed that, thank you. Really thank you.” She kissed him again.

 

“You’re welcome, Scully. We’ll be here when you get back.” he whispered softly.


	9. Diagnosis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do apologize for the delay and shortness of this chapter, the next one will be a lot longer! Enjoy!

“Ms. Scully I’m so sorry to tell you this but…”

  
  


“It’s alright doctor, whatever you have to say you can tell them too.” 

  
  


“You have Nasopharyngeal Cancer.”

  
  


“What stage?” The doctor hesitated for a moment thinking about his answer carefully.

  
  


“You just entered stage four.” There was a pregnant silence in the air. “I would like to discuss our course of treatment.”

  
  


“No. I’m forgoing treatment. I mean it’s already this bad. Why spend my final days withering away in a hospital being pumped full of toxins when I can spend my days living?” There was another moment of silence before the doctor spoke again. 

  
  


“I hate to leave you but I have other patients.”

  
  


“Thanks doc.” Mulder said. “Scully you don’t seemed shocked at the fact that you have cancer and a deadly one.”

  
  


“How can I be surprised by something I already knew?” Liv spoke up this time. 

  
  


“You knew you had cancer?” Liv’s voice broke.

  
  


“I’ve known for a couple months, I didn’t think it was going to be this bad already. That’s why I’m forgoing treatment because obviously it isn’t working.”

  
  


“Why didn’t you tell me?” Her voice was barely above a whisper. Dana knew she should’ve told Liv. 

  
  


“I was going to, I-I just didn’t know how.” Dana burst into tears. They all got into her bed and held her tightly. 

  
  


“When we get outta here, we’re finishing your bucket list. Starting with what we talked about the other night. You know which thing.” 

  
  


“I know we talked about that but, I- I mean would… can they come too?” 

  
  


“Of course they can. I wouldn’t separate you from them. They’re your friends as well as mine too. I think it would be great for all of us.”

  
  


“I don’t mean to break up the party here but can you guys give me a minute. I need to call my mother, she’ll be worried sick.” They didn’t even question it or say a word. 

  
  


Dana picked up the phone and dialed her mother. “ _ This is Margaret.”  _

  
  


“Mom it’s me.”

  
  


_ “Dana my darling! Where are you calling from?” _

  
  


“The-the hospital.”

  
  


“ _ Dana…” _

  
  


“It’s really bad mom. Stage four.” She sobbed into the phone and her mother just let her. She expected her mother to break down on the phone with her but she didn’t. She said the oddest yet saddest thing that Dana had ever heard from her. 

  
  


_ “Well you’d be with your sister and your father.” _

  
  


“Mom that wasn’t what I want to hear.” She chuckled through tears. 

  
  


_ “I know darling, I’m just trying to process all of this. I didn’t mean to say that it just slipped out. Would you like to talk to Scarlett or Jeremy?” _

  
  


“No that’s alright. I’ll stop by in a few days okay?” 

  
  


_ “Alright Dana. So…” _

  
  


Dana rolled her eyes, “Ask me.”

  
  


_ “What did they suggest for treatment? Are you seeing anyone? I would love some more grandchildren.” _

  
  


“My god mom…I’m skipping treatment because it isn’t working and I don’t want to die in a hospital. I’d rather die at home. Yes I am seeing someone. His name is Fox.”

  
  


_ “Bill Mulder’s son?” _

  
  


“Okay what the fuck. How do you know him?!”

  
  


_ “Language young lady. Just because you’re an adult does not mean you swear like a sailor. I swear you are the spitting image of your father, even down to the profanity. Your father had him over a few times for dinner, they had some government issues to discuss. Fox’s mother is a sweet lady.” _

  
  


“Well I guess that takes care of the parents meeting parents. Lemme guess, a man by the name of Water was also at this meeting.”

  
  


_ “The Bishop fellow? Yes, great man and his son is the nicest kid you’d ever meet. Isn’t he engaged to Olivia now?” _

  
  


“WHAT THE FUCK THEY’RE ENGAGED?! I AM SO OUT OF THE LOOP!”

  
  


_ “Dana Katherine, I am not going to say this again.  _ **_Language!_ ** _ ” _

  
  


“Sorry, I swear you know more about my friends than I do.”

  
  


_ “Well dear if you ever left your dorm room or you know visited-” _

  
  


“I know mom I’m sorry. I’ve been so busy with work, dance and school-”

  
  


_ “DANA KATHERINE WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU’RE DANCING!?”  _ There was silence. “ _ Never mind, we’ll discuss this when you get home. Get some rest. I will talk to you later. I love you” _

  
  


“I love you too mom.” She placed the phone back on the receiver and called for all of them. They all walked back in and Dana’s expression soured a little bit.

  
  


“You look like you’ve just put an entire package of warheads in your mouth. What’s up?”

  
  


“Why didn’t you tell me you were engaged?!”

  
  


“Dana you’re the only person I’m seeing.”

  
  


“Not you Mulder. Liv why didn’t you tell me?”

  
  


“We were all so busy, it just slipped my mind. I’m sorry Dana.”

  
  


“Just slipped your mind? Never mind, there’s no point in arguing over this. Here’s a question for all of you? How does my mother know more about you guys than I do?”

  
  


“What do you mean?” Peter asked.

  
  


“I mean that she knew who all of you were and who your parents are. Apparently they’re all working together? Or were. My father no longer works with them, I mean unless he works from the grave.”

  
  


“I had no idea they worked together. I just went to the one dinner at your house with my father some years back but I didn’t think your mother would have remembered that.” Peter was shocked. 

  
  


“My mother has an amazing memory. Anyways, can you guys bust me outta here. I want to leave.”

  
  


“Of course!”

 

A few weeks had passed since receiving the diagnosis and it was finals week. They were all stressing except for Dana. Her mindset of not caring ultimately scared Mulder and relieved him at the same time. 

  
  


“I can’t wait for finals week to be done and over with.” Peter sighed. They all groaned in agreement. 

  
  


“Dana have you figured out where our road trip is going to end?”

  
  


“Gold Beach, Oregon.”

  
  


“Holy crap, kid. Why there?”

  
  


“Because no one knows us there and it’s so pretty out there. I already booked the beach house for the summer.” 

  
  


“Where did you get the money for that? That cannot be cheap.” Liv stated. 

  
  


“I’m using part of my trust fund.” Dana said calmly. 

  
  


“Some hefty trust fund I guess.”

  
  


“Yeah, but most of it will be going to my children.”

  
  


“Children? You got kids we don’t know about?” The three of them laughed while Dana remained quiet. “Wait you’re serious.”

  
  


“Yeah, I have twins.” 

  
  



End file.
